Elderly pets often become frail in their last few years of life. From an appearance point of view, they become thin and have poor skin and coat condition. Other symptoms include weight gain, increased water intake, digestive system problems, and joint stiffness and energy loss or lower activity levels in general. Also, the density of their bones may decrease making them susceptible to bone breakage. Further, elderly pets may be more susceptible to cancers than younger animals.
Certain of these problems may be effectively treated using medication. However, a better alternative would be to delay the onset of these problems, or treat these problems, through diet adjustments. In particular, elderly animals should be fed a balanced, maintenance food that contains high quality protein, lower amounts of fat to reduce energy intake, dietary fiber, and antioxidants.
However, despite the use of balanced, maintenance foods, the condition of elderly animals may deteriorate rapidly. Therefore there is a need for nutritional ways of improving the condition and/or increasing the longevity of elderly pets.